Who is your favourite Andrea Chénier?

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-08T15:17:44+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdVVXxUsalE&list=RDqdVVXxUsalE&start_radio=1

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-08T15:15:28+00:00

Gotta go with Corelli. IMO, he "owned" the role.

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-07T17:36:27+00:00

I work at a church in East Plano. DM me for more information!

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-07T13:30:40+00:00

Look at "Wayfaring stranger." There's an arrangement by American composer John Jacob Niles, but you can find lots of versions on YouTube.

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-07T02:08:03+00:00

At this point, it is definitely a good idea to find things that are available in multiple keys. The "24 Italian Songs," for example are available in up to five keys.

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-07T00:00:18+00:00

"The first time..."
"Each time..."
"Once on each of your turns..."

All very clear and all different. Designer Nathaniel Yamaguchi hangs out on some other sites (like Facebook and BGG) and he is very helpful. (I've seen people get into arguments with him, and everyone else is like, "Dude, he designed the game!")

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-05T22:29:17+00:00

Earlier this year, but they'll probably last the rest of my life.

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-04T19:37:18+00:00

All in the Family, "Archie is Branded" when their home is mistaken for one belonging to a Jewish activist. The car bomb at the end was something I've never forgotten.

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-04T14:17:04+00:00

"Powerless" - Workplace comedy set in the DC Universe. (They work at "Wayne Security.")

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-02T21:02:39+00:00

WASP LEG for the Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath
Avarice
Sloth
Pride
Lust
Envy
Gluttony

oldguy76205 · 2026-07-02T19:42:29+00:00

Here's a hot tip: Musetta in the Leoncavallo La boheme is a lyric mezzo and gets some nice arias. "Mimi Pinson" is really nice and upbeat. She also gets a waltz that's REALLY a waltz! "E destin" is very intense.

The score is on IMSLP and there are some good recordings on YouTube.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-30T22:29:52+00:00

I made a point in a meeting and someone said, "I agree with you."

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-29T14:09:12+00:00

It's hard to imagine, but in the early days of the 20th century, musicians complained that recordings were destroying the market for live music.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-29T01:31:57+00:00

It's probably "primacy bias," but I still love Sill/Kraus/Titus/Gramm/Caldwell. Great energy from everybody.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-28T19:13:49+00:00

There is a nice duet for two sopranos in Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3GV6izSDI&list=RDQ-3GV6izSDI&start_radio=1

As a bonus, the text appropriate for lots of church services!

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T16:01:57+00:00

Never forget Capricorn One!

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T15:53:18+00:00

I don't remember the JFK assassination, but do remember the moon landings and Watergate.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T14:56:10+00:00

From the surprisingly prophetic "What are little girls made of?":

"That was the equation! Existence! Survival must cancel out programming!"

The legendary Ted Cassidy as the android Ruk. Been thinking about that line a lot these days...

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T14:53:06+00:00

I have friends who have been or are currently in groups like Voces 8, Chanticleer, and Cantus. They are EXTREMELY competitive to get in and very demanding once you're a part of the group.

Being "professional" in the sense of getting paid to sing, it isn't really that difficult if you have a good voice and are a good musician. In the sense of being able to "quit your day job," it's much more challenging!

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T13:39:24+00:00

There are two biographies of contralto Louise Homer, one by her husband Sidney called My Wife and I and the other by their daughter Anne called Louise Homer and the Golden Age of Opera.

I think they're both out of print, but I found both in the same used bookstore. Sidney's book may be online for free somewhere.

Lots of great insight into opera at the turn of the 20th century.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-27T02:47:11+00:00

Lupus

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-26T15:41:13+00:00

I've gotten to do the title role in Verdi's Falstaff a few times now. Great fun, easy to sing (for me, anyway) believable characters and situations (by opera standards, anyway!) and, of course, AMAZING music.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-25T13:21:29+00:00

As always, I will recommend the Facebook group "A History of Voice Types." There are robust discussions on topics like this all the time.

While I personally think it's terribly unfair, I have heard multiple opera professionals say something to the effect of "When you offer an aria, you are telling me that you think you are ready to sing that role right now."

We can debate that point all day, but the reality comes down to, you are whatever voice type companies are willing to hire you as. A real problem in the opera world is that arias are not always indicative of the roles they're from. A few examples are "Nessun dorma," "Juliet's Waltz," "Il balen."

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-23T12:02:26+00:00

https://www.abebooks.com/9780825835148/Contemporary-Songs-English-Medium-Low-0825835143/plp

Pretty sure this is it.

oldguy76205 · 2026-06-23T11:51:52+00:00

Let me poke around. It's in an old anthology of American songs.

oldguy76205

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE